Opening bell: Sensex, Nifty set for flat-to-positive open; RailTel, Sun Pharma, LIC, Deepak Fertilisers, HCLTech shares in focus

The Indian equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, are expected to open on a flat-to-higher note on Tuesday, following positive global cues. The Asian stocks were mostly higher in early trade, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, amid hopes that the U.S. tariffs may be softened through trade negotiations.

At 8:10 AM, the GIFT Nifty futures were trading 10 points higher at 25,165, indicating a subdued start for the Indian benchmark indices.

Investors will also react to retail inflation data that cooled to a six-year low in June 2025, with the headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation falling to 2.10% year-on-year, the lowest since January 2019. Among individual stocks, shares of HCL Technologies, Tata Technologies, Tejas Networks, Nelco, Rallis India, and Den Networks will be in focus as they released their June quarter results after market hours yesterday.

On Monday, the Indian equity markets ended lower amid mixed global cues after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union and Mexico, effective from August 1. The 30-share Sensex ended 247 points, or 0.3%, lower at 82,253, and the Nifty50 fell 67 points, or 0.27%, to settle at 25,082. Bucking the trend, the broader markets saw strong buying momentum. The Nifty MidCap 100 added 0.7%, while the Nifty SmallCap 100 index rallied 1%.

U.S. markets end in the green despite tariff concerns; Nasdaq hits new high

Wall Street closed marginally higher in choppy trade overnight as investors shrugged off trade tensions following Trump’s tariff announcement. Market participants remained optimistic that the tariffs may be softened through ongoing negotiations, with both EU and Mexican officials expressing intent to continue discussions this month. Investors also shifted focus to the upcoming second-quarter earnings season.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.27% to hit a fresh record high, while the S&P 500 added 0.14%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.20%.

Asian markets follow Wall Street higher

Major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region traded higher on Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. Investors appeared to discount Trump’s shifting tariff rhetoric and shifted their focus to China GDP data and corporate earnings.

Taiwan’s Weighted Index was the top performer in the region with a 0.9% gain, followed by Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, which added over 0.7%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Singapore’s Straits Times were marginally up, while Australia’s ASX 200 gained nearly 0.4%.

On the other hand, China’s Shanghai Composite and South Korea’s Kospi were trading lower, falling by up to 0.5%.  

Stocks to watch

Q1 results: Big players such as Network 18 Media & Investments, HDFC Life Insurance Company, HDB Financial Services, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company, GM Breweries, Hathway Cable & Datacom, Himadri Speciality Chemical, Just Dial, Bank of Maharashtra, and others will announce their quarterly earnings today.

HCLTech : The IT major has reported consolidated revenue of ₹30,349 crore in Q1FY26, up 8.2% year-on-year (YoY), while net income dropped 9.7% YoY to ₹3,843 crore.

Tata Technologies : The Tata group company posted a consolidated operating revenue of ₹1,244.3 crore in Q1FY26, marking a decline of 3.2% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) and 1.9% YoY.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) : The government of India has appointed R Doraiswamy as the new CEO and Managing Director of LIC for a three-year term, effective July 14.

RailTel Corporation of India : The PSU has bagged a ₹264.07 crore work order from East Central Railway for the implementation of Kavach, India’s indigenous train collision avoidance system, on low-density railway tracks.

Oberoi Realty : A consortium comprising Oberoi Realty, Shree Naman Developers, and JM Financial Properties and Holdings has had its resolution plan for Hotel Horizon approved under the CIRP process.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries : The drug maker has reached a settlement and licence agreement with Incyte Corporation regarding litigation over LEQSELVI (deuruxolitinib).

Deepak Fertilisers : The company has signed an agreement with Petronet LNG for the regasification of approximately 25 TBTUs of LNG annually. The deal is valued at ₹1,200 crore, with a potential additional outlay of up to 20% over the contract period.

Power Mech Projects : The company has secured an order worth ₹498.39 crore from SJVN Thermal (P) for commissioning support and a long-term O&M contract at the Buxar Thermal Power Project (2x660 MW) in Bihar.

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